Heretofore meat and meat products have been transported in large cardboard boxes which are mounted on wooden pallets. As is well known, both cardboard and wood can and do harbor microorganisms, insects, etc. The presence of such organisms in and around containers utilized to receive, store, transport, and discharge meat and meat products can lead to contamination thereof. Total freedom from contamination is an absolute necessity in the food industry. Therefore, a need exists for a container adapted to receive, store, transport and discharge meat and meat products which is incapable of harboring contaminating organisms.
Pending U.S. application patent application Ser. No. 10/436,761, which is assigned to the assignee hereof, discloses a bulk bag in which the fabric of the side wall panels comprising the bulk bag is formed into four vertically extending pockets. The pockets receive supporting members formed from PVC pipe or similar materials. The function of the supporting members is to maintain the bulk bag in an upright configuration thereby facilitating the receipt of meat and meat products therein.
The present invention comprises an improvement over the bulk bag construction disclosed and claimed in the above-identified co-pending application. In accordance with the present invention, vertically extending pockets are provided at spaced apart locations around the periphery of the bulk bag. The pockets receive supporting members formed from PVC pipe or similar materials which function to maintain the bulk bag in an upright configuration. The pockets may also receive legs depending from a frame which secures the bulk bag in an open configuration during the filling of the bulk bag with meat and meat products.